Simply Cookbooks

Archive for the ‘Appetizers’ Category

Everyone has a recipe for Bruschetta, or you should.  This is such an easy dish and there are so many varieties that I really believe you could make a different recipe everyday for a year and still have some leftover, recipes that is.

We didn’t feel like eating a big meal tonite, it was just my husband and I, so we usually eat lighter when the family is not around.   I hope you enjoy it as much as we did and if you have a special Bruschetta recipe I urge you to share it with us.

1 loaf of either Italian or French Baquette unsliced

• Fresh Tomatoes (I used 6 for this recipe)
• 3 slices of sweet onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh Italian Oregano (about 1 tbsp)
• Fresh Italian Parsley (about 1 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Just before serving mix in crumbled Feta Cheese about 1/4 cup

Combine all the ingredients, except cheese, and let sit about an hour.  If you want to make it the day before and let it sit the flavors will “pop”.  Just be sure to serve this at room temperature.

Slice your Baquette about 1/2-3/4 inch thick diagonally and put under your broiler until crisp, but not burned.

Now get a spoon and put some of the mixture on top of the bread and enjoy a very favorable meal.

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One of the hardest food items for me to plan are what to have as appetizers. There are so many to choose from that I get overwhelmed and end up serving to many. For that reason this year I am going to try and serve only two to three appetizers.

Feta cheese is my favorite cheese. I love its flavor. This particular recipe was given to me many years ago by a friend, I lost the original recipe and went looking on the Internet for a replacement. I found it at Eating Well Magazine, where I find a lot of my recipes.

Serve with assorted vegetables, such as baby carrots, bell pepper strips, radishes, snow peas, broccoli and caulifower florets.

EatingWell

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS
Place beans, yogurt, feta, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add herbs; puree until incorporated. Chill until ready to serve.

Have a safe and happy summer season.

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This is a family favorite anytime of the year.   The recipe originally came from Rachel Ray’s cookbook

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, one turn of the pan
24 large gourmet stuffing mushroom caps, stems removed and reserved brushed with
damp towel
Salt and pepper
Stuffing:
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan
3/4 pound sweet bulk Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, chopped
20 stems mushrooms, finely chopped
1 rib of celery and green, leafy top from the heart of the stalk, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 slices white bread, toasted and buttered, chopped into small dice
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, 2 handfuls
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and mushroom caps and season
caps with salt and pepper. Saute caps 5 to 7 minutes, until they are lightly browned
and tender on edges. Turn caps up and let juices drain away from caps. Transfer caps
to a small nonstick baking sheet. Wipe out skillet and return to heat. Add a touch of
oil and sausage to the hot skillet. Brown and crumble sausage for 3 minutes. In a
food processor pulse and chop the garlic, add mushroom stems and pulse to chop the
mushroom stems. Add celery, onion and red bell pepper to the mushrooms and pulse
to chop. Remove mixture from the processor and saute veggies and mushrooms over
medium high heat another 3 to 5 minutes. Add dry, defrosted spinach and stir into
stuffing. Add chopped bread and cheese to the pan and toss stuffing until bread is
moist and stuffing is combined, 2 or 3 minutes. Fill caps with stuffing using a small
scoop or large spoon. Place caps in hot oven and reduce heat to 450 degrees F. Bake
6 to 8 minutes to crisp edges of stuffing and set stuffing in mushrooms. Transfer
stuffed mushrooms to a serving plate

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I don’t know what you will be doing this coming Sunday, but I will not be in the kitchen!  I freely admit I am a football junky!  So today I am making food for tomorrows “tailgate” inside the house.   Too cold to go outside!

Here is what I will probably start out with:

Ingredients

* 1  16-oz. can refried beans
* 1/4  tsp. cayenne pepper
* 1  recipe Lime Guacamole, below
* 4  oz. cojita cheese, crumbled (1 cup) or 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1  8-oz. carton dairy sour cream
* 1  cup halved cherry tomatoes
* 1  2.25-oz. can sliced pitted ripe olives
* 1/2  cup sliced green onions
* 1/3  cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
*   Green onion tops (optional)
*   Tortilla or Corn Chips
*   Lime Wedges

Directions

1. In bowl combine beans and cayenne. In one half of bottom of 2-quart rectangular baking dish spread bean mixture in even layer. Spoon Lime Guacamole in other half, spreading evenly. Sprinkle both with cojita cheese. Spread sour cream over all. Cover; chill up to 24 hours.

2. Before serving, sprinkle tomatoes, well-drained olives, and onions over sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tomatoes. Sprinkle onion tops. Pass lime wedges. Makes 8 to 10 (1/2 cup) servings.

3. Lime Guacamole: In bowl combine 4 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely mashed; 1 medium tomato, chopped; 1/4 cup finely chopped onion; 1 jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped; 1 Tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves); 1 tsp. shredded lime peel; 2 Tbsp. lime juice; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper; and 1/8 tsp. bottled hot pepper sauce.

Recipe Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

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